[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8125 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8125
To designate the area between the intersections of 18th Street
Northwest and Church Street Northwest, and 18th Street Northwest and P
Street Northwest, in the District of Columbia as ``Jimmy Lai Way'', and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 23, 2024
Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. Suozzi) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and
Accountability, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of
the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To designate the area between the intersections of 18th Street
Northwest and Church Street Northwest, and 18th Street Northwest and P
Street Northwest, in the District of Columbia as ``Jimmy Lai Way'', and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONDEMNING THE JAILING OF JIMMY LAI IN HONG KONG.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) In 1997, the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty
over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China (PRC) with
guarantees that fundamental rights are protected under both the
1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, which
enumerate specific rights and freedoms including those of
speech, of the press, and of assembly.
(2) The Government of the People's Republic of China has
repeatedly undermined Hong Kong's autonomy since the 1997
handover, and in particular since the Umbrella Movement
protests in 2014, the mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, and
the imposition of the draconian National Security Law in 2020,
which is vaguely defined and broadly applied to punish people
for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights and
freedoms.
(3) Since its enactment in June 2020, the National Security
Law, unilaterally passed by the National People's Congress
Standing Committee and enforced by officials in Hong Kong as a
pretext to repress legitimate and peaceful speech, assembly,
and expression of political opinions.
(4) Jimmy Lai, a 76-year-old Hong Kong democracy advocate,
media entrepreneur, and a British citizen, has been in prison
since December 2020 on multiple fabricated charges, and is
currently serving a sentence of almost six years in prison
under politically motivated fraud charges, having already
served two other sentences, one for joining a vigil to mark the
1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, and another for participating
in peaceful protests in 2019.
(5) The Apple Daily newspaper which Jimmy Lai founded and
published was forced by the authorities in Hong Kong to close
in June 2021, and his Next Media company was delisted from the
Hong Kong Stock Exchange under government coercion in January
2023.
(6) The trial of Jimmy Lai on charges of ``conspiracy to
collude with foreign forces'' under the National Security Law
and ``conspiracy to publish seditious publications'' under the
sedition law began on December 18, 2023, and resumed on January
2, 2024.
(7) Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty to all charges.
(8) The minimum sentence required under the National
Security Law is 10 years imprisonment, and therefore it is
possible that he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
(9) A group of United Nations experts, being alarmed by
``multiple and serious violations'' of his rights, including
the right to a fair trial and access to a lawyer of his own
choosing, called for Jimmy Lai's immediate release.
(10) Jimmy Lai's meetings with United States Government
officials and public figures, including the former Vice
President and Secretary of State, the former Speaker of the
House of Representatives, and the former Consul-General in Hong
Kong, as well as others, have been cited by the prosecution in
the court proceedings.
(11) Jimmy Lai stands for the values of democracy, human
rights, respect for the rule of law, religious freedom, freedom
of expression, and media freedom, and is prosecuted and
persecuted by the PRC's proxies in Hong Kong solely because of
his opinions and activities in pursuit of these values.
(b) Sense of Congress.--Congress--
(1) condemns the unjust imprisonment and the show trial of
Jimmy Lai;
(2) calls upon the Hong Kong authorities to release Jimmy
Lai immediately and unconditionally and cease prosecuting him
and others charged under the National Security Law;
(3) reaffirms the importance of media freedom and the right
of publishers, journalists, and media workers in Hong Kong and
around the world to operate free from intimidation, harassment,
repression, censorship, and fear;
(4) recognizes that the severe restrictions on the free
flow of news and information from Hong Kong impacts the ability
of individuals, corporations, and diplomats to make decisions
about travel, investments, and political conditions in Hong
Kong;
(5) urges the Secretary of State and other relevant
Department of State officials to advocate for the release of
Jimmy Lai by raising his case with officials of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region and People's Republic of China;
(6) urges the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights to hold a special session and appoint an impartial and
independent United Nations mechanism to evaluate, monitor, and
report on a range of human rights violations in the People's
Republic of China, including the impact of the National
Security Law on human rights in Hong Kong, as requested by over
50 United Nations Special Experts in 2020; and
(7) urges all governments that value democracy, human
rights, and the rule of law to call for all charges against
Jimmy Lai to be dropped, the trial to end, and for the
immediate and unconditional release of Jimmy Lai.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF ``JIMMY LAI WAY'' IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
(a) Designation of Street Name.--
(1) In general.--The area between the intersections of 18th
Street Northwest and Church Street Northwest, and 18th Street
Northwest and P Street Northwest in the District of Columbia
shall be known and designated as ``Jimmy Lai Way''.
(2) Reference.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
area referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to include
``Jimmy Lai Way.''
(b) Designation of Address.--
(1) Designation.--The address of 1520 18th Street Northwest
in the District of Columbia shall be redesignated as 1 Jimmy
Lai Way Northwest.
(2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
address referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a
reference to 1 Jimmy Lai Way Northwest.
(c) Signs.--The Administrator of General Services shall construct
street signs that shall--
(1) contain the phrase ``Jimmy Lai Way NW'';
(2) be similar in design to the signs used by the District
of Columbia to designate the location of Metro stations; and
(3) be placed on--
(A) the parcel of Federal property that is closest
to 1 Jimmy Lai Way Northwest (as redesignated by
subsection (b)(1)) in the District of Columbia; and
(B) the street corners of 18th Street Northwest and
Church Street Northwest, and 18th Street Northwest and
P Street Northwest, in the District of Columbia.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING MAIL DELIVERY BY THE UNITED STATES
POSTAL SERVICE.
It is the sense of Congress that the Postmaster General should
recognize any mail which is addressed to the Hong Kong Economic and
Trade Office at ``1 Jimmy Lai Way'' in San Francisco, California, or
New York, New York, with the appropriate postal codes, and should
deliver such mail to--
(1) 130 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California 94104;
or
(2) 115 East 54th Street, New York, New York 10022,
as the case may be.
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